Abstract
Homeobox genes encode the class of transcription factors in vertebrates and are found in clusters called A, B, C, and D on four separate chromosomes. HOXA9 gene is part of the cluster A on chromosome 7 and encodes a DNA-binding transcription factor which may regulate gene expression, morphogenesis, and differentiation. The objective of this study was to determine the HOXA9 gene expression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). For this purpose, semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to measure HOXA9 gene expression in human erythroleukemia (HEL) cell line and bone marrow mononuclear cells from 54 AML patients and 20 healthy individuals. The data show that HOXA9 mRNA expression was negative in 20 healthy individuals but was positive in HEL cells and in 22 out of 54 (40.74 %) AML patients. The complete remission rate (45.45 %) of the patients who expressed the gene was significantly lower than that (71.86 %) in patients who did not express the gene after chemotherapy. Therefore, it was concluded that HOXA9 gene might be involved in the pathogenesis of AML and played as a worse prognostic factor in AML.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Golub, T. R., Slonim, D. K., Tamayo, P., et al. (1999). Molecular classification of cancer: Class discovery and class prediction by gene expression monitoring. Science, 286, 531–537.
Nakamura, T., Largaespada, D. A., Lee, M. P., et al. (1996). Fusion of the nucleoporin gene NUP98 to HOXA9 by the chromosome translocation t(7;11) (p15;p15) in human myeloid leukaemia. Nature Genetics, 2, 154–158.
Borrow, J., Shearman, A. M., Stanton, V. P, Jr, et al. (1996). The t(7;11)(p15;p15) translocation in acute myeloid leukaemia fuses the genes for nucleoporin NUP98 and class I homeoprotein HOXA9. Nature Genetics, 2, 159–167.
Nakamura, J., Largaespada, D. A., Shaughnessy, J. D, Jr, et al. (1996). Cooperative activation of HOXa and phx1-related genes in murine myeloid leukemias. Nature Genetics, 12, 149–153.
Van Oostveen, J., Bijl, J., Raaphorst, F., et al. (1999). The role of homeobox genes in normal hematopoiesis and hematological malignancies. Leukemia, 13, 1675–1690.
Thorsteinsdottir, U., Sauvageau, G., Hough, M. R., et al. (1997). Overexpression of HOXA10 in murine hematopoietic cells perturbs both myeloid and lymphoid differentiation and leads to acute myeloid leukemia. Molecular Cell Biology, 17, 495–505.
Kroon, E., Krosl, J., Torsteinsdottir, U., et al. (1998). Hoxa9 transforms primary bone marrow cells through specific collaboration with Meis1a but not Pbx1b. EMBO Journal, 17, 3714–3725.
Afonja, O., Smith, J. E, Jr, Cheng, D. M., et al. (2000). Meisl and HOXA7 gene in human acute myeloid leukemia. Leukemia Research, 24, 849–855.
Andreeff, M., Ruvolo, V., Gadgil, S., et al. (2008). HOX expression patterns identify a common signature for favorable AML. Leukemia, 11, 2041–2047.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30971281) and the Xingwei Project of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. xk2007025).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
De-Peng Li and Zhen-Yu Li contributed equally to this study.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, DP., Li, ZY., Sang, W. et al. HOXA9 Gene Expression in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cell Biochem Biophys 67, 935–938 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-013-9586-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-013-9586-8